Reflections on Generosity

"... In light of the science, inviting someone to give is really inviting them to tap into these biologically rooted joys of generosity..."

I am reading from Neurogiving. The Science of Donor Decision-Making by Cherian Koshy, published in 2025.

Reflection questions:

Reflections on the quote:

Over the next few weeks, we...

This is a "re-air," because during economic uncertainty it's important that the leader continues to communicate consistently during this year-end giving season.

"...If you don’t know what harbour you sail for, no wind is favourable. Because we live by chance, chance necessarily has great power over our lives..."

In our series on uncertainty during small town capital campaigns, This week, I’m reading from Seneca’s Letter 71, first published in 65 AD.

Reflection questions:

This is a "re-air," since economic uncertainty continues this year-end giving season.

"...for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs..."

This week, I am reflecting a quote from George Eliot’s Middlemarch, published in 1871 to ask the question, "will donor give during uncertainty?"

Reflection Questions

"...And expanding one's horizons in such ways, being exposed to new information and new possibilities in life, tends to enhance human well-being..."

This week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.

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At the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference earlier this fall, I had the opportunity to meet Clay Bu...

"...Give, give again and again, don’t lose courage, keep it up and go on giving! No one has ever become poor from giving!.."

This week, I’m reading from Give, an essay from Anne Frank, published in 1959.

Reflection questions:

"...More is lost by indecision than wrong decision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity. It will steal you blind..."

This week, I’m reflecting on the words of Cicero as weaved through several of his works, published between 89 BC and 43 BC.

Reflection questions:

Reflection on quote:

Although we have seen a greater vision for generosity in the community building aspects, we still give donors the opp...

"...No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted...."

For some ancient wisdom about donors who don’t give, this week, I’m reading a story from Aesop’s Fables, titled the Lion and the Mouse as told sometime between 620 and 564 BC.

Reflection question:

What kindness can you give to a donor who have previously said no to the capital project?

Reflection on quote:

Last week, we discussed building communities of donors during the campaign. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that t...

..."It is the most beautiful, the most noble side of neighbourly love, wherein the word has fully become deed...."

This week, I’m sharing quotes from The Untapped Power of Jewish Fellowships and Forgotten Approaches to Care to connect the practice of hevrot to our work in fundraising.

Reflection questions:

Reflection on quote:

As we plan and im...

"All that happens, happens right: you will find it so if you observe narrowly..."

This week, I am reading a quote from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, written around 171 AD.

Reflection questions:

Reflection on quote:

In working with capital campaigns, it’s not surprising that I’m well-acquainted with failure as w...

Raising major funds in a small town can feel overwhelming—especially when your team of staff and volunteers is stretched thin and capital campaign experience is hard to find.

Welcome to Reflections on Generosity, where each week brings you a five-minute reflection centered on cultivating the generosity mindset essential for capital campaign success. You'll get coaching questions to ground you in your campaign work, drawing from timeless wisdom and practical insight.

Here's the beautiful truth: the principles that make capital campaigns succeed work for all fundraising. This mindset applies whether you're planning a ca...

"Go before the people with your example, and be laborious in their affairs."

This week, I’m reading from the Analects by Confucius, written sometime between 551 and 479 BC.

Reflection questions:

Reflection on quote:

As we...

"...In the struggle for existence, it is only on those who hang on for ten minutes after all is hopeless, that hope begins to dawn..."

This week, I am reading selected quotes on hope from GK Chesterton.

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Reflection on quote:

Last week, we discussed the first of two opposite errors in our campaign messaging that we can fall into.  The first error is blaming others and encouraging rage g...

"...Hatred of evil should constrain you to right, not fear. When her anger is kindled by injustice, goodness changes her form...."

This week, I’m reading from the Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, a Roman Slave, written during the 1st century BC. 

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Reflection on quote:

During times of uncertainty, there are two opposite errors in our campaign messaging that we can fall into.  We start blaming othe...

"...If you don’t know what harbour you sail for, no wind is favourable. Because we live by chance, chance necessarily has great power over our lives..."

In our series on uncertainty during small town capital campaigns, This week, I’m reading from Seneca’s Letter 71, first published in 65 AD.

Reflection questions:

Reflection on the quote:

Continuing with the theme...

"...for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs..."

This week, I am reflecting a quote from George Eliot’s Middlemarch, published in 1871 to ask the question, "will donor give during uncertainty?"

Reflection Questions

Over the past two years, we've begun each week together with a meaningful reflection on the beautiful space where generosity occurs, paired with coaching questions designed to ground you for the week ahead.

Starting next week, this podcast will take on a slightly different focus. Each reflection will center on cultivating a generosity mindset specifically for capital campaigns, complete with coaching questions to ground you for the week ahead in your capital campaign planning and work.

Here's what I want you to also know: the principles that drive successful capital campaigns apply to...

"...had bequeath to his executors for charitable purposes his personal clothing and nought else..."

This week I am re-reading "The Ethics of giving: The Ratio of Generosity to Income" by "a Drafter of Many Appeals" from the Hospital Magazine, published in 1915.

Reflection question:

Reflection on the quote:

As we enter into fall and p...

"...It is not the critic who counts..."

This week, I am sharing a musical version of the Man in the Arena from Citizenship in a Republic, a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt in 1910 and with original music written and performed by Deidre Corson.

Reflection questions:

Reflection on the quote:

...

"We experience joy in forming the intention to be generous; we experience joy in the actual act of giving something; and we experience joy in remembering the fact that we have given."

This week, I’m reading 3 quotes from the Buddha.

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Reflection on quote:

"...It is only the spirit of giving that counts, and the very poor give without any self-consciousness..."

This week, I’m reading from Random Reminiscences of Men and Events by John D. Rockefeller, published in 1909.

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Reflection on quote:

I had a conversation with a colleague on whether the requirement to give to prevents lower income Board members from serving. This is a bit of a soapbox for me and I hav...

Fundraising work can feel isolating, with endless tasks pulling you in every direction. But what if you stepped back from the techniques and trends to discover something deeper?

Welcome to Reflections on Generosity — a weekly five-minute pause to explore the beautiful space where generosity occurs. Drawing from ancient wisdom to modern insights across all cultures, we'll ground you with thoughtful reflections and coaching questions for the week ahead.

This isn't another podcast for your to-do list. It's a moment to reconnect with the profound, timeless work you're already doing.

Join me...

"...O let us live in joy, although having nothing! In joy let us live like spirits of light!.."

This week, I’m reading a quote from the Dhammapada, written down in the 1st century BC. 

Reflection questions:

"...We must not consider how great presents are, but in what spirit they are given..."

This week, I am reading a story and quote from On Benefits by Seneca the Younger, published in 59 AD.

Reflection questions:

Reflection on quote:

In the nonprofit...

"...We frequently make our gifts conditional on the giving of others, not because we wish to force people to do their duty, but because we wish in this way to root the institution in the affections of as many people as possible who, as contributors, become personally concerned, and thereafter may be counted on to give to the institution their watchful interest and coöperation...."

This week, I’m reading from Random Reminiscences of Men and Events by John D. Rockefeller, published in 1909.

Reflection questions:

"...When we have decided to accept, let us accept with cheerfulness, showing pleasure, and letting the giver see it, so that he or she may at once receive some return for their goodness..."

This week, I am reading a quote from On Benefits by Seneca the Younger, published in 59 AD.  Seneca uses the word “benefit” to denote an act of charity.

Reflection question:

Reflection on quote:

When a...

"...And joy is the appropriate attitude with which to help others because acts of generosity are a source of blessing to the giver as well as the receiver..."

This week, I’m reading a quote from John Chrysostom from the 400 A.D.s.

Reflection questions:

If you are writing a fundraising appeal for an urgent need, step back and ask yourself these two questions.

"...All that happens, happens right: you will find it so if you observe narrowly..."

This week, I am reading a quote from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, written around 171 AD.

Reflection questions:

Reflection on the quote:

In working with over 100 clients, it’s not surprising that I’m well-acquainted with failure as well. A dono...

..."See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of giving.
     For in truth it is life that gives unto life—while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness...."

This week, I’m reading on this poem On Giving by Khalil Gibran from The Prophet‍, published in 1923. 

Reflection question:

Reflection on quote:

What is the first action that every fund development professional should do upon taking a job?  Give. Give to the organization where you w...

"...Acknowledging that one does not know is a humble kind of ignorance, one that is, in fact, filled often with the joy of discovery and wonder at what is discovered..."

This week, I’m reading a quote from Imposed Ignorance and Humble Ignorance - Two Worldviews by Paul Heltne, published in 2008.

Reflection Questions:

"...We cannot attempt to recount here the long story of all good causes which came to be recognized only after lonely pioneers had devoted their lives and fortunes to arousing the public conscience, of their long campaigns until at last they gained support..."

This week, I’m reflecting on this quote by Friedrich Hayek from The Constitution of Liberty, published in 1960.

Reflection questions:

"...Two different roads are presented to us, equally leading to the attainment of this so much desired object; the one, by the study of wisdom and the practice of virtue; the other, by the acquisition of wealth and greatness..."

This week, I’m reflecting on a quote by Adam Smith from The Theory of Moral Sentiments, published in 1759.

Reflection question:

Reflection on quote:

Last week, we talked about generous love to...

"I shall pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

This week, I’m reflecting on the words of Henry Drummond from The Greatest Thing in the World, published in 1874.

Reflection question:

Reflection on quote:

How we t...

"...Donor prospects are not objects; they are subjects, and like all of us, they want to contribute to something meaningful and life-giving and successful. Like us, they too search for meaning, have fears and hopes, desires and regrets, and beliefs that should be acknowledged and reverenced..."

In honor of the 100th episode, this week, I am re-reading two quotes from the first episode from Imagining Abundance. Fundraising, Philanthropy, and A Spiritual Call to Service. Kerry Alys Robinson. 2014.

Reflection questions:

"...Humble ignorance can imagine that it might be wrong and hopes that its community will correct it early enough to avoid harm.  It can marvel at what it sees that it cannot hope to understand or control...."

This week, I’m reading a quote from Imposed Ignorance and Humble Ignorance - Two Worldviews by Paul Heltne, published in 2008.

Reflection Questions:

"...Let us, then, be up and doing, 
   With a heart for any fate; 
Still achieving, still pursuing, 
   Learn to labor and to wait."

This week, I'm reflecting on a poem, A Psalm of Life, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, published in 1838.

Reflection questions:

Reflection on poem:

This we...

"...There is a difference between quantity and fullness. You can have a lot of money and still be empty. There is no fullness in your heart...."

This week, Pope Francis passed away.  In honor of his teaching on generosity, I am reflecting on his homily from November 8, 2015.

Reflection question:

Reflection on quote:

In his words, he talks about giving from fullness and not from leftovers.  This is a mark of true gen...

"... If donors are largely unaware of fluctuations in the grants received by charities, then reductions in fund-raising becomes a sensible explanation for crowding out..."

This week, I came across a large scale research article from 2009 titled, “Is Crowding Out Due Entirely to Fundraising?”

Reflection questions:

..."It is the most beautiful, the most noble side of neighbourly love, wherein the word has fully become deed..."

This week, I’m sharing quotes from The Untapped Power of Jewish Fellowships and Forgotten Approaches to Care to connect the practice of hevrot to our work in fundraising.

Reflection questions:

Reflection on quote:

At its core, fundraising isn't just about...

"...There's only one thing I will not concede: that it might be meaningless to strive for a good cause."

This week, I’m reflecting on his words from Summer Meditations by Vacslav Havel, published in 1993.

Reflection question:

Reflection on the quote:

When I consider the challenges we face in raising sufficient funding for the good causes we ser...

"...There's only one thing I will not concede: that it might be meaningless to strive for a good cause."

This week, I’m reflecting on his words from Summer Meditations by Vacslav Havel, published in 1993.

Reflection question:

Reflection on the quote:

When I consider the challenges we face in raising sufficient funding for the good causes we ser...

"...Give charity without delay, for it stands in the way of calamity..."

This week, I’m reflecting on several sayings of the Prophet Mohammad and the Quran and along with the definition of Sadaqah.

Reflection questions:

Reflection on quotes:

We are in the middle of Ramadan, a...

“...Confidence is that feeling by which the mind embarks in great and honorable courses with a sure hope and trust in itself...”

This week, I’m reflected on the words of Cicero as weaved through several of his works, published between 89 BC and 43 BC. 

Reflection questions:

Reflection on quotes:

This week, I’m been thinking about the effect...

"Thenceforth they are no longer isolated individuals, but a power conspicuous from the distance whose actions serve as an example; when it speaks, people listen...."

This week, I’m reading selected quotes from Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville. Published in 1835.

Note: his use of the word association is our current word for nonprofit.

Reflection questions:

"....The Stage which was not for low Farce design'd,
But to divert, instruct, and mend Mankind."

This week, I’m reading from the play The Modern Husband by Henry Fielding, published in 1732.

Reflection Question:

There are times when stress is only relieved with a bit of dark humor.  How will you gather with your community of friends and colleagues to laugh in the face of the absurdities we face in our fund development work?

Reflection on the Recorded Quote:

There are days that if we are not...

"...Where there is quiet and meditation, there is neither worry nor dissipation...."

This week, I’m reflecting on Of the Virtues putting Vices to Flight by Francis of Assisi, first published in English in 1906.

Reflection questions:

Reflection on quote:

As I record this week’s reflection, there continues to be so much upheaval for nonprofits.  How we respond matters to our missi...

"...for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts;..."

This week, I am reflecting a quote from George Eliot’s Middlemarch, published in 1871.

Reflection questions:

Reflection on quotes:

...

"...God blesses those people who make peace. They will be called his children!..."

This week, I am reading the words of Jesus and His approach to opponents from Matthew 5 and 6.

View the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon about Enmity and Fundraising Letters from July 7, 1995.

Reflection questions:

"..No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

This week, I’m reading a story from Aesop’s Fables, titled the Lion and the Mouse as told sometime between 620 and 564 BC.

Reflection question:

Reflection on quote:

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the relationship with donors is only about asking or thanking.  A donor gives, and we thank them and report back on the impact their gifts has.  Yet, relationships with don...

"...How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make their contribution toward introducing justice straight away!..."

This week, I’m reading from Give, an essay from Anne Frank, published in 1959.

Reflection questions:

Reflection on quote:
Duration: 00:04:10

"...It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong person stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better...."

This week, I’m reading from Citizenship in a Republic, a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt in 1910, changing the word man to person.

Reflection questions:

"...Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there. Waiting, then, is not passive. It involves nurturing the moment.."

This week, I am reflecting on selected quotes from Henri Nouwen from the The Path of Waiting, published in 1995 and Bread for the Journey, published in 1996.

Reflection questions:

As you know, this podcast highlights the transformative beauty of generosity. I will be taking a brief break until January 6, and in the meantime, I encourage you to reflect on the role of generosity within your own holiday traditions.

As I consider the myriad of holidays during this season, I am reminded of the universal themes of generosity and connection that they all share. Yet, in the flurry of holiday preparations, it's easy to overlook the simple but profound gift of giving that is at the heart of each celebration.

As we move through...